Philadelphia Bloggers Who Make Money Ordered to Pay City Business License Fee

Philadelphia city officials are adamant that they're not singling out bloggers -- just those who reported business income to the IRS, but didn't follow proper procedure with the city.

Through an "information sharing agreement" with the IRS, Philadelphia recently identified 32,000 people who earned (or lost) business income last year, but failed to inform the city of such dollars and obtain the required "business privilege license." It's unclear how many bloggers received letters from the city when they were sent out in May, as such specifics aren't required on tax forms, but city officials estimate it's a low number. Regardless, the cash-strapped city's stepped-up enforcement and its impact on bloggers came as a shock as Philadelphia is the first known city in the U.S. to do so. As well, most bloggers don't make a living from their online writings, which is more often a hobby than a source of revenue.